Last year’s Women’s Varsity Match could not have gone any better for Cambridge University captain Alice Middleton.

She was part of the first women’s team to play the Varsity at Twickenham, on the right end of a 52-0 victory over the team’s bitter rivals and was one of two players to score a hat-trick in the process

Her try in the 70th minute summed up her perfect day. Already 40-0 up, Middleton collected the ball near halfway before sprinting, as if she had not played all afternoon, to touch down under the post for her hat-trick.

Om Thursday (11.30am) she will lead a vastly experienced Cambridge side out for the first time as captain, but is keen to temper expectations a little bit.

She said: “I have to manage my expectations a little, I can’t expect a hat-trick and we can’t expect it to be a massive scoreline.

“I’m confident about the squad and the performances that we put in, but we expect them to come out with fire in their bellies and revenge on their mind.

“Leading the team out is a huge deal for me and playing at Twickenham is a completely different experience. It’s an amazing chance that not many people get to play at the home of English rugby.”

Tomorrow’s squad features 10 returning Blues in the starting line-up, including flanker Chloe Withers and winger Lara Gibson who both scored last year.

The bench is slightly less experienced, with only Sophie Farrant featuring last year and six others hoping to make their first appearance.

Selection has still been tough though and Middleton said the growing popularity of the game post-Olympics and the success of the England’s women’s team is making Cambridge an exciting place to play.

Middleton said: “I guess we’re a bit more aware of what to expect and how big of a deal it is.

“It’s good to have 10 returning players who can give advice for how the day goes and for the younger members.

“The squad depth is definitely greater. We were talking at training and even though our mind is on the Varsity, we were thinking about the Tigers game (the second team) as well and the strength and options we’ve got.

“It’s an exciting time to play rugby here.

“Obviously it’s all amazing but we still need to go out there and play a game of rugby and win.”

Unlike the men’s team, they compete in BUCS Premier South with Oxford and have already played them once this season, a 22-0 victory.

It has been their only victory of the season, however, and they currently find themselves rooted to the foot of the table.

The Varsity, though, is a different beast. Middleton, a post-graduate medical student, also believes that fixtures against strong outfits, such as Bristol and Exeter, have put the team in good stead for the occasion.

She said: “We take every fixture against each other very seriously. I know they had a few players who couldn’t travel and play in November so it’ll be a totally different game.

“All the tough matches in BUCS let us work on different stuff and help us make sure our organisation is solid and we’ve been working hard on those things.

“They’ve been working on the weaknesses we exploited at Twickenham last year so we will have a battle on our hands.”